Which way will we face?

I came across this video (below) a few days ago that has caused me to ponder some of the challenges our own members face and will continue to face in the future.  When Elder Packer was appointed the supervisor of Seminaries and Institutes of Religion.  Elder Harold B. Lee gave him this counsel. 


 "You must decide now which way you face," he said. "Either you represent the teachers and students and champion their causes or you represent the Brethren who appointed you. You need to decide now which way you face." Then he added, "Some of your predecessors faced the wrong way." It took some hard and painful lessons before I understood his counsel. In time, I did understand, and my resolve to face the right way became irreversible." (Elder Packer, Talk to the All-Church Coordinating Council, May 18, 1993)


One of the tests we will face in our time is the question, what direction will you face?  Will we face the brethren?  Or will we try to appease the world so we will be accepted?  This reminds me of Elder Nelsons talk this past conference who reaffirmed the churches stand on God as the creator and not the God of evolution.  I have read many blogs that have been very critical of Elder Nelson and others in the church for not getting "with the times" as it relates to science and evolution.   


What brought this all to a head was when I was reading Elder Christoffersons talk in the ensign from the April General Conference, "The Doctrine of Christ".  In the footnotes, Elder Christofferson quotes at length from an Ensign article Written by Elder Maxwell about the apostasy of the early church.  Elder Maxwell made this observation,


"In the course of time, reason, the Greek philosophical tradition, dominated, then supplanted, reliance on revelation, an outcome probably hastened by well-intentioned Christians wishing to bring their beliefs into the mainstream of contemporary culture. … “… Let us [too] be wary about accommodating revealed theology to conventional wisdom” (Ensign, Nov. 1993, 19–20).


We must remember, personal apostasy begins by trying to appease the world (IE, Lehis Dream).  It takes a strong individual to stand firm in ones convictions. I have included the interview with this good Nun, and I call her good because I firmly believe she is doing the best she can with the light and truth she has.  But, it does serve as a warning for us. 

LDS Church organizes first stake in India

This article Appeared in the Deseret News today announcing that the fist stake was organized in India!

A significant moment in the international expansion of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints occurred last Sunday when Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presided over the creation of the Hyderabad India Stake.

Elder Oaks was assisted in this action by Elders Donald L. Hallstrom and Anthony D. Perkins of the church Quorums of the Seventy.

The new stake — a church administrative unit similar to a Catholic diocese, consisting of a number of individual congregations, which are called wards or branches — is India's first and one of nearly 3,000 similar units worldwide. It will serve the needs of approximately 10,000 Latter-day Saints who are currently living in India.

Although LDS Church leaders made several attempts through the years to establish the church in India beginning in the mid-1800s, it wasn't until 1981 when government regulations allowed an LDS missionary couple to establish a branch of the church there. While most missionary teaching at that time was done in English, the Book of Mormon was translated into Telegu in 1981.

The first mission in India, the India Bangalore Mission, was created in 1993 with Gucharan Singh Gill, a native of India who joined the LDS Church as a student in California and who later taught mathematics at BYU, as president. At that time there were 1,150 Latter-day Saints in India in 13 church branches. Within five years that number grew to 2,000 members in 18 branches.

In 2007 a second mission in India — the India New Delhi Mission — was organized to provide ministry in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.

Hungry Kids!!!

This is way to funny!!!

It is just One Sin!

This is a great quote about Satan's tactics and motivation in Elder Gerald Lunds newest book Look up my Soul, Page 115

 “The arch deceiver has studied every way possible to achieve his ends, using every tool, every device possible. He takes over, distorts, and changes and camouflages everything created for the good of man, … so he may take over their minds and pervert their bodies and claim them his. “He never sleeps—he is diligent and persevering. He analyzes carefully his problem and then moves forward diligently, methodically to reach that objective. He uses all five senses and man’s natural hunger and thirst to lead him away. He anticipates resistance and fortifies himself against it....He overlooks nothing that will deceive and distort and prostitute. He uses money, power, force. He entices man and attacks at his weakest spot. He takes the good and creates ugliness. … He uses every teaching art to subvert man. ”President Kimball, How to Evaluate Your Performance,” Improvement Era, Oct. 1969, 12. 

When I read this thought the scripture which counsels us to “watch” and be “aware” of the adversary came to mind. I have found in my own life that it is very easy to justify actions that may offend the spirit even in small degrees. It may be something as small as a song on the radio or a commercial on TV that may offend the spirit. But this I have learned is foolish, Elder Eyring describe the consequences of justifying sin, even in the smallest degree. He is discussing the consequences of not accepting the counsel of the prophets, but it is also applicable to any of the other channels of revelation.

 “Another fallacy is to believe that the choice to accept or not accept the counsel of prophets is no more than deciding whether to accept good advice and gain its benefits or to stay where we are. But the choice not to take prophetic counsel changes the very ground upon which we stand. That ground becomes more dangerous. The failure to take prophetic counsel lessens our power to take inspired counsel in the future.(Henry B. Eyring, “Safety in Counsel,” Ensign, Jun 2008, 4–9)

 When I ponder this idea, The movie Back to the Future Two comes to mind. In this movie, Marty Mcfly has been taken into the future (2012 Ironically enough) by his good friend Dr. Emmet Brown to help Marty's future Son avoid a disastrous choice that would destroy the Mcfly family. While in the future, Marty sees in a store window a sports almanac which he plans to use to make some easy money once he gets back to the year 1985.. Instead, Biff, the nemesis to the Mcfly family connects the dots and realizes that Marty Mcfly is Marty Jr. from 1985 and has ended up in the year 2012 in a time machine.

 So, Biff steals the Sports Almanac and the time machine without Marty or D.r Emmett Brown knowing, and flys back the the year 1955 and gives the sports Almanac to his younger self. As a result, Biff became rich and powerful by using the almanac.

 Unbeknownst to Mary and Dr. Brown, when they travel back to the year 1985, the entire world has changed. Their town, their family, their friends, everything, where they live. When we make a choice, no matter how small it is, changes the very ground we stand on much like the choice marty made in the movie. Now, that is an extreme example but if we do not repent and return to higher ground Satan will continue to lead us along and further change the ground upon which we stand.

 It is my hope that we remember just how real Satan is and how calculating he is in seeking to destroy us.

This is one of the coolest videos of the year, when you watch this think of sci-fie movie